Getting Real with "Live It, Love It, Earn It" author Marianna Olszewski

How many times have you wished you could get control of your money once and for all, but dreaded the thought of sitting down and beating those numbers into shape?

 

Get ready for a radical notion. “Live it Love it Earn it”, by Marianna Olszewski, is a guide for women to financial empowerment- by building relationships with your money.  “Make a date, every Monday night- grab a bottle of Evian or some red wine and sit down with your statements.”

 

It does make sense that actually spending time examining our money will yield better results than ducking it like that skeevy lab partner from college, right?

 

Olzewski’s approach is more fun, and is designed to makes women WANT to check out their finances- it’s more about getting empowered in all areas of your life through getting to know your money.

 

I asked Marianna in a recent phone interview what makes her book different than the other women’s finance books on the market. "It’s different because we interview about 13 phenomenal women about how they believed in themselves and followed their gut- and how it led them to exactly where they’re supposed to be,” she answered.

 

Her book is full of stories from amazing women like fashion maven Tory Burch and Tamara Mellon of Jimmy Choo about how they succeeded in following their dreams. And how when you’re in line with your ultimate vision, behaviors like overspending or over-anything fall by the wayside.

 

But to be free to chase those dreams, we need to be clear about money and stop fighting it. “Women are really strong- men are strong too, but women are strong in a different way,” she asserts. 

 

When she was a little girl, she loved playing office instead of playing house. She worked in Corporate America in Finance for many years, but got tired of living paycheck to paycheck. She started her own business at 29, which grew into a multi-million dollar company called Madison Financial. So when she says you can follow your dream, she’s walked the walk.

 

The meat and potatoes behind the book is about changing behaviors that don’t serve your goals. “Stop impulsive shopping when it’s not about spending- stop eating when it’s not about food. When we’re over spending, eating, over whatever, it’s usually because there’s something else going on.”

 

“The book is light and fun and easy,” she says, “But it’s about reality. Let’s not follow the fairy tale model that something or someone will rescue us from the reality of our money- that old process of  ‘Wouldn’t it be great if someone else just did it for me?’”  But, she assures us, “The easier, softer solution is just to follow your dreams- then wonderful things happen.“

 

Not sure what your dreams are anymore? Just start writing down what comes into your head- Marianna calls this process “From Fuzzy to Firm”. And then things begin to take shape.

 

“Live It Love It Earn It” is available in all bookstores, and in a Kindle Edition.